I just want to know what you think about my acne. I'm 20 years old and have been back on Solodyn for a month now. I was off it from September '11 to March '12. I never thought the Solodyn helped so that is why I stopped taking it. I maintained my status (a little better than the pics below) for the time I was off the pills until February when my acne worsened. I thought maybe some time off an antibiotic (I was on an antibiotic for 2 years before Solodyn) would increase the effectiveness, but I guess not. My bacne was almost non-existent from June to February, but once that flared up again I felt like I needed to get back on an antibiotic. Bacne is doing better now.

You have a different type of acne then I do, but from my experience tea tree oil did nothing but waste money for me.. If you notice a difference from using it, continue.. However, I found a new product in the store called "Neutrogena all-in-1" There is a wash and a gel (both with salicylic acid) and it's only been 3 days but I have noticed some difference, especially in the redness of my face. In fact, the bottle even says helps with past, present, and future. (scars, present pimples, and prevents future break outs.) Whether or not it will clear me up completely, I don't know. But, it's worth a shot and neutrogena does have good products. To be honest, I would save your money on the chemical peel, unless you can affford to get multiple done. Some people think one will clear them up, but usually it takes 4-6 or more even.

As for accutane, some may advise it, but PLEASE don't do it, for your own sake. my brother did it when he was younger and it cleared him up (his was slightly severe, mine is mild) but it came back as mild acne, and his skin is drier and more aged because of it. It's also very harsh on your body with LOTS of possible side effects. A lot of people have sued for it. While accutane may work, I would not resort to it yet. The products you get from the derm are also prob expensive and not the best option.

For bacne and mild chest acne I started panoxyl maximum strength with 10% bp in it, which I have nothing to comment on it yet, don't know if it's working or not. But the face washes I have been using seem to be doing something. Also make sure you use a moisturizer EVERY time you wash.. Non comedegenic, oil free, etc. with a 15spf or higher...

The topicals do very little. The bp based products and the tea tree oil decrease the size of the pimples but new ones form constantly so its an endless cycle.

I fell like I was doing well on my own during the months I was off Solodyn but the increasing number of scars and red marks scared me into going back on the meds. I've noticed my acne has gotten progressively worse since this time last year. It went from a small cluster of pimples, to many clusters and constant redness. My face looks more red today and drier, even though I've been using the jojoba oil day and night.

I've tried Dan's Aha and it seemed to break me out. Same with Dan's moisturizer. It must be a chemical he uses. Its a shame because I've heard Aha works well for red marks.

My skin looked similar to his when I was prescribed accutane. Even though it was just mild/moderate, my acne was completely unresponsive to other treatments (prescription or otherwise) and my derm and I decided it was time to take the next step up to Accutane. So OP, if you think you're up to it, go ahead and ask about accutane! I know what it's like to have to use handfuls of products every day with little improvement and it sucks.

My skin looked similar to his when I was prescribed accutane. Even though it was just mild/moderate, my acne was completely unresponsive to other treatments (prescription or otherwise) and my derm and I decided it was time to take the next step up to Accutane. So OP, if you think you're up to it, go ahead and ask about accutane! I know what it's like to have to use handfuls of products every day with little improvement and it sucks.

My skin has progressively been unresponsive to topical treatment. My derm wanted me to go on Accutane last year, when my acne looked better, mainly because I was on antibiotics for so long and they were not working. I'll ask her on Tuesday and see what she says. Thanks for the response!

Are you kidding me!!?!? You don't even need chemicals on your skin. Eat healthy and you should be all set. If you try different products, your skin can get worse.I would start eating healthy (mostly plant-based diet) and apply witch hazel 100% natural or raw apple cider vinegar diluted in water or full strength if can handle it ^^;;I also like aloe vera (fresh) for redness. It helps reduce redness. Good luck. Oh, and my skin is actually worse than yours and I am not applying any BP, etc.. I use witch hazel, acv, and aloe vera (fresh). Sometimes baking soda (just on forehead)

Edited by EddieE, 15 April 2012 - 09:10 AM.

Best way to make your skin smooth and clear eventually:

Plant-based diet is the best medicine for everything.. That's if you consume at least 80% raw, mainly from veggies and fruits.
Exercising: cardio is great for skin and lifting a bit.
Thinking positive and try not to stress or think about acne.

I am doing these and my skin is currently very smooth and clearing up!
I am a vegan raw 100%. I feel better, have more energy, saving animals a year, glow skin, I look younger, etc.

I went to the derm on Tuesday and she upped my dosage of Solodyn from 80mg to 105mg. She gave me a bag full of topicals to try.

For the am she gave me BenzEFoam and Acanya and for the pm she gave me Retin-A, Epudio, Ziana, Finacea, and Tazorac to try and pick which one I find most effective. I found this strange how she was allowing me to pick my meds because she is the doctor and I'm just a guy with the internet. She just handed me a bag of topicals and sent me out the door.

Anyway, I'm using the Acanya in the morning. I'm not sure what to use at night though. I have used Retin-A before, but that was a few years ago. Any suggestions?